Unit 4 - Motivation, Emotions, Stress & Wellness
Type A and Type B Personalities Inventory
This is an interactive personality test that will calculate an A/B personality type for you.
Introduction
Type A and Type B personality theory was devised by doctors Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman in the 1950s. They claimed that a certain type of people, "Type A", were much more likely to get heart disease, because of their high stress lifestyle, than other people, "Type B".
The two types in A/B theory
Type A
The theory describes a Type A individual as ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status conscious, can be sensitive, care for other people, are truthful, impatient, always try to help others, take on more than they can handle, want other people to get to the point, proactive, and obsessed with time management. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics" who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.
In his 1996 book, Type A Behavior: Its Diagnosis and Treatment, Friedman suggests that Type A behavior is expressed in three major symptoms: free-floating hostility, which can be triggered by even minor incidents; time urgency and impatience, which causes irritation and exasperation usually described as being "short-fused"; and a competitive drive, which causes stress and an achievement-driven mentality. The first of these symptoms is believed to be covert and therefore less observable, while the other two are more overt.
Type B
The theory describes Type B individuals as a contrast to those with Type A personalities. People with Type B personality by definition generally live at a lower stress level and typically work steadily, enjoying achievement but not becoming stressed when they are not achieved. When faced with competition, they do not mind losing and either enjoy the game or back down. They may be creative and enjoy exploring ideas and concepts. They are often reflective, thinking about the outer and inner worlds. Furthermore, Type B personalities may have a poor sense of time schedule and can be predominately right brained thinkers.
Validity
A/B personality theory never became widely used in cardiology, the claim that A/B type predicts risk for heart disease is disputed, but the distinction between type A and type B has become a popular one in non academic terms.
This test was developed for this website using descriptions of the types from Friedman (1996) - it has no serious research as to its validity.
Please realize that having a Type A personality does not mean you are guaranteed to have stress-related health issues. In fact, view the TED Talk "How to Make Stress Your Friend" above to see how recent research suggests that simply changing your mindset about stress can fundamentally change the situation. However, if you are very "Type A" and have a lot of stress, it may be worth looking at ways to manage your stress in more healthy ways.
